This looks more like a huge oversight than a malicious decision. I can't think of a good reason why a company advertising deliveries for a specific restaurant would redirect to a listing of similar restaurants. As an end user that would really annoy me; it's not like I'm going to change my mind and order Applebee's instead.
The only other explanation is that Applebee's is paying the delivery companies a fee to capture SEO acquired by them, which would be really scummy.
I worked for grubhub. They absolutely put up google ads to capture traffic and redirect it to restaurants that paid for advertising. The entire business is incredibly scummy and manipulative. Grubhub also bought the domains for most restaurants and created fake websites so consumers thought they were ordering directly from the restaurant.
> it's not like I'm going to change my mind and order Applebee's instead.
Perhaps not Applebees, but it could happen with more similar cases. I know I have been recommended a restaurant, got distracted, and ordered from another similar restaurant.
I guess the idea is that once you try doordash, you'll want to stay there because you have more choices and better product. Doordash can control the whole experience as well as send you emails, push notifications, etc. to bring you back in.
> "We believe online diners are becoming more promiscuous," Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney and CFO Adam DeWitt wrote in a shareholder letter, noting that Grubhub diners were once known to be extremely loyal, but new diners have often already sought out a competing online platform
The only other explanation is that Applebee's is paying the delivery companies a fee to capture SEO acquired by them, which would be really scummy.